BUSY DAY

Was a busy day today.  Got up early and went to the ski resort.  Put skins on my new skis and skinned up the cat track nearly to the top of chair 4.  The higher altitude really made me huff and puff.  Just made one run then came down to the base where they were having the Special Olympics.  Was going to help out if they needed some help, but there were a lot of volunteers there.  Stayed and watched for awhile and took a few pictures.  Lots of smiles on many faces there.

Skins on the skis and ready to hike.

This is the saddle to Elk Basin where I stopped.

And this is where I skied back down.

 

The top three winners in the toboggan race.  And some pretty big smiles there.

A slalom skier coming through the gate.

There was a horse and sleigh for people and contestants to ride in.

Connie's new computer arrived this afternoon and we spent some time putting it together.  Will take her a few days to get familiar with the new operating system and get it all set up.  Also took a few pictures around the place with the new snow.

The horses were up to drink from the stock waters and we always get a kick out of watching the pecking order among them.  Their ears express a lot of what they are communicating.

A white breasted nuthatch found something in the bark of a tree and is in the process of eating it.

FAMILY SKI DAY

Went up to the ski resort today and skied with Tracy, Angie, their kids, and quite a number of their friends.  We still need a lot of snow, but we had a good time making some runs with them. 

Getting all the crew together was quite a chore!

SNOW

It has snowed off and on all day.  We were going to go skiing this morning, but there was only 2 inches of new snow.  That is not enough powder.  We will probably go tomorrow though as it is supposed to snow all night up there.  Will have to wait for the snow reports in the morning - I am holding out for at least 4 inches.

Went for a walk this afternoon in the snow.  Of course the blind dog went for part of it.  We are so glad he is still able to walk with us.

WAITING FOR SNOW

We seem to be in a real dry spell here in Montana. No snow! It has been over a week and we have not went skiing. The weather is really strange also. It has been warmer than usual. And we have had a lot of wind. It has blown a lot of the snow off the ridge lines. Even at the ski area it has blown snow off the open areas at the top. Not good for skiing! Lots of stumps and logs showing up.

I have been cutting down old dead trees and bringing them up for wood. Also trying to clean up the forest floor by picking up dead trees that have been laying there for who knows how long. Will burn them this spring when we can burn brush piles.

Catmay doing what she does best in the winter - taking a cat nap!!

A LOT OF SKIING WITH LITTLE POWDER

Our Powder Thursday was not very powdery today.  We sure could use some more of that white fluffy stuff on the mountain.  There were about 3 inches of new snow this morning.  We did have an outstanding day though.  Connie and I skied a great run with the "old guys" (and one lady).  They do some serious skiing let me tell you.  The average age of this group is in the 70's I am pretty sure (this of course does not count Connie and I)!  What a fun group of people to ski with - it is because they are up there just to have fun.

I had Connie up and going early this morning.  Gary fed the horses this morning so we could head right up there.  Connie does not quite see the fascination I have with putting the first tracks on new powder.  I guess I am still trying to live up to the old motto "First Chair - Last Call" that I had in my youth, or at least the first part of the motto!  I can't do both anymore.  I was on the first chair this morning with Dave and did get the first tracks down Thunder and Lighting.  Not as much snow as one would like, but I will take what I can this winter. 

A few of the "old guys" waiting for a padded chair before they get on the lift!

Waiting for one of the guys who had a little trouble staying on the chair after getting on.  Won't go into the reasons, but it sure got a lot of laughs.

Connie and I skied out of bounds for the first time this year.  As you can tell, we need more snow.  Those little trees are usually covered up by now.

And so is this bear grass and brush.

Dave and I making first tracks on Lightning.

Glacial Lake Missoula

Was out stacking up small dead trees trying to clean up the northwest corner of our property when I noticed how sandy the area was.  In fact, this used to be a beach.  Imagine that – Connie and I own land that was lake front property.  Of course that was 15,000 years ago, or 12,000 years ago according to some geologists.

I thought I would share a little geology of our area in my blog.  During the last ice age, a glacier from the British Columbia area moved south into Idaho down the Purcell Valley.  The glacier was about 20 miles wide when it crossed into the Clark Fork river valley around where Pend Oreille Lake is today, it closed off the Clark Fork River and Glacial Lake Missoula was formed.  This lake was 2000 feet deep at the dam and was about the size of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie combined containing 500 cubic miles of water.  At its highest water level, the waves were lapping at 4350 in elevation or 300 feet above where our house/barn sits now. 

Ice dams tend to float before the water will go over them.  When that happens the glacier breaks up and the dam fails “catastrophically.”  Glacial Lake Missoula drained in a matter of days.  Some say it was the greatest flood in geological record.  Now that is impressive!  Then guess what – the glacier continued south and blocked it again.  This happened not once, not twice, but many times.  Some say 36 times and some say 41 times.  Geological evidence shows 41 layers of sediment near Spokane and at least 36 fillings in western Montana.  Some fillings may not have backed all the way up the valleys here which explains the difference in number of the sediment layers.   So it at least caused 36 pretty major floods in eastern Washington State according to the book referenced below. 

The following is from the book “ROADSIDE GEOLOGY OF MONTANA” by David Alt and Donald Hyndman, page 53.  Glacial lakes keep their archives in thin layers of light and dark sediment called varves.  Glacial meltwater is typically milky with finely ground rock flour pulverized as the rocks embedded in the moving glacier grind each other.  Rock flour accumulates on the floors of glacial lakes during the summer when large quantities of ice melt.  Meanwhile, algae and microscopic animals flourish in the sunlit surface waters of the lake.  The coming of winter ends the melting, thus cutting off the supply of rock flour, and the algae and animals that thrived during the long summer days die with the freeze.  Their remains settle to the lake floor during the winter to become a layer of dark sediment.  Each pair of light summer and dark winter layers records the seasons of one year of the glacial lake’s existence.

The earliest filling of the lake lasted 58 years with subsequent fillings lasting shorter periods of time.  It existed almost 1000 years.  So now you know why we have what we call the “sand pit” where we get our sand for our road.  It must have been part of the beach a “few” years ago.  And our prevailing wind now is from the southwest and if it was the same then, we would have had lots of waves working on our southwest facing Precambrian rock outcroppings.  And just a few hundred years would make up a little sand.

JUST A SKI DAY

Went up skiing today.  Of course there was no new snow.  We seem to be in a drought out here in the west compared to the mid-west and east.  But we had a good time making some top to bottom runs on groomers.  Thigh burners.  The wind was pretty brisk, but the temperatures were warmer than it has been.  Clear on the Montana side of the mountain, but clouds on the Idaho side.  They blew over the top pretty well all day.  Saw lots of elk on our way up to the resort. 

Ike watching the clouds blow in from Idaho.

That is Connie and Brenda on the chair coming up to the top.  Clouds over Idaho behind them.

FINALLY -- SOME POWDER!!**

It is about time.  Ski report Thursday morning said they had 12 inches of new snow since Tuesday (I don't think there was quite that much, but it was sure good!).  So we met Ike and Brenda at the hill.  Since our little resort is only open Thursday through Sunday, everyone knew there was some good powder.  There are a lot of powder hounds in the Bitterroot, Salmon, and Big Hole valleys and they showed up, plus quite a few folks from Missoula drove up.  The parking lot was 3/4 full by afternoon.  I missed first chair, but did manage to get 2nd tracks on "Lightning".  There were a lot of moguls under the snow so my knees got flexed a lot.  Nice snow though.  I met up with everyone at the top of chair 2, and we headed over to chair 4 for some pretty darn nice powder.  It was a little cold though.  With temperature gauges in cars nowadays, we got the reports of minus 27 in the Big Hole, Sula was 10 below, and the parking lot was minus 5.  The wind was a little brisk on chair 4 also.  But it was the best day so far this season.  You could tell by all the smiles on the faces in the lodge afterwards.   

I found a new area for skiing powder in the trees.  I will have to check it out better next time I am up there.  The way to get out will have to be explored more.  A few pictures of the day.

Bluebird day.

Ike enjoying the glide through some pretty soft powder.

Brenda carving a few turns.

Connie coming down The Ripper.

The top of Chair 4.

A group we call the "old guys" although today there is a lady with them and she looks a lot younger than any of the men!  The average age of this group has to be close to 70.  I haven't thought of a caption for this picture yet, but I will.  Fun group to ski with.

Our cat May is always glad to see us return and get the fire going to dry out boots and gear.  She loves her spot in front of the fire.

SKIING AND HIKING

Our friends Gary and Georgine from St. George, UT came for a visit 30 Dec to 5 Jan.  We had a great time.  Those two are really good for some laughs.  The skiing was not as good as it could have been.  Not enough snow around here this year.  But we did make it up there a few days.  Also did some hikes around here.  Georgine hikes at least 10 miles a day so keeping up with her is a challenge.  I took Gary up to the natural salt licks that the elk and deer use up behind out place.  He had never seen ones quite like these.  He is an avid bow hunter and said he would have tree stands all over our place and up there.

Connie always posing in the pictures!

Gary making some turns.

And G doing the same thing.

Connie is short, but this makes her look real short!

This beer tastes good!

Connie stands out in this jacket.

G & GB hiking in the pines.

Gary by an elk rubbed tree.

 The natural salt licks.